ECONOMICS AND GOVERNANCE OF MIGRATION

This is an graduate level course on the political economy of migration and forced displacement. The course contributes to achieve the main objectives of the Master Programme in Global Development and Entrepreneurship and will teach students to 1) understand the main issues and challenges related to the migration flows through theory and empirical evidences 2) critically evaluate the socio-economic implications of Migration for the origin and destination regions.
The goal of the course is to provide an understanding of migration as an economic, legal, and social process, to understand the importance of informed governance of migration and of migration policies (asylum, and refugee policies). The students will learn how migration is affecting many aspects of modern society, and why it generates so many debates.
Why migrates leave countries? Who migrates? Where migrants go? Why?
The course aims to teach students to understand the variety of sources of statistical information about migration, to critically verify and interpret it, to understand the relationship between migration and the problems of socio-economic development of countries, to navigate the problems of migration policy at the global and country levels. Particular emphasis is made on the Italian and post-Soviet cases. In particular students learn about remittances and how remittances impact sending communities. Students learn to distinguish factors and impacts of migration in both sending and receiving countries. The course analyses problems of international migration – their scale and directions, economic and social consequences, which include impact on labour market, on the supply chains, industry level impact, and macroeconomic impacts. Main focus of the course is the analyses of political and economic aspects of the movement of people across borders. Students are expected to read migration literature suggested in the course and focused primarily on developed and developing countries.

The course aims to boost students’ ability to combine factual and theoretical elements to draw useful conclusions in situations not yet explored.
Students will learn how to apply modern migration theories to interpret actions and/or procedures essential to undertake tasks and tackle problems arising in professional practice, e.g. in migration policy institutions, economic institutions, social policy institutions and research organizations. Students become able to identify, forecast and elaborate scenarios for complex migration problems.

1. Knowledge and understanding
- Reading & interpreting migration reports;
- Reading & interpreting research articles;
- Critical reading of tabloids;
- Understanding the impact of migration on the populations in the countries (regions) of departure and arrival;
- Distinguishing the advantages and disadvantages of individual sources of economic, historical, and statistical data on migration;
- Distinguishing between different types of migration
- Navigating in publications and databases about migration processes in the world
- Understanding the role of migration in economic and international policy and the role of economic policy in migration
- Understanding the role of political factors of migration
- Awareness of the ways of selective policies towards migrants
- Understanding of the basic differences among countries in governance of migration and the implementation of migration policies
- Awareness of the main factors defining the volume and ‘movement’ of migrants' remittances
- Awareness of the influence of the "brain drain" for the donor and recipient countries.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding 

- Interpreting individual migration indicators and explaining their application in the analysis of migration processes
- Understanding the necessity of complex use of available data for studying migration processes, including statistical, and evidence-based
- Ability to explain the division of spheres of influence among countries-migration donors and migration recipients
- Writing a thesis dedicated on one of the main modern problems of migration
- Aware of the Soviet and post-Soviet migration trends, and their relevance in the decision making process
- Ability to interpret the successes and mistakes of the migration policy

3. Making judgements
- Ability to make and discuss hypotheses, also through a critical approach to the evaluation of alternative hypotheses
- Understanding the limits of potential judgments

4. Communication skills
- Ability to reflect on migration challenges and to interact with peers and with the tutor, in a critical and respectful way, both face-to-face and 
on the forum of the virtual classroom. 


5. Learning skills 

- Ability to analyse the research literature
- Ability to critically address migration issues from various perspectives
- Ability to take notes and share them collaboratively on the online platform
- Ability to critically consult the reference texts and their bibliography

1. Proficiency in written English shall be required to understand the slides and publications, technical/scientific texts and manuals, used by the professors in class
2. Notions of microeconomics are a pre-requisite. Some knowledge of econometrics is strongly suggested.
3. Personal class attendance (students missing more than 20% of the classes without a due proved reason are not expected to pass)
4. Involvement and active participation in the discussion (students are expected
to have completed the required readings before class)
5. Final presentation of the group paper
6. Final research paper is 20-25 pages double spaced. The paper should clearly define the research question, its importance, discuss the relevant literature, outline the argument, provide preliminary evidence and discuss a research plan for testing the argument.

Topic 1. Introductive

Learning objectives & course expectations. Migration definitions. Type of Migrants. States, and their legal obligations in migration. “Refugees” vs. “Migrants”. The notion and governance of refugee regime.

Topic 2. Economic and social theories of migration. Climate and Displacement.
Migration Theory: modelling individuals and household decisions. The factors of migration choice. The relationship between migration choice and wealth. Conflicts, refugees and displacement. Displacement and refugees in modern wars. The impact of climate change on displacement.
Topic 3. Where and when? The role of diasporas. The impact of COVID
The role of diasporas. How COVID changed migration. Where and when migrants go. Where and when refugees go. The role of diasporas and networks in building wealth.
Topic 4. Governance of Migration in Receiving States 

How receiving countries change migration flows. Restrictive vs liberal migration policies.
Topic 5. Migration effect on sending communities

Global hunt for talent. Economic and social effects on sending countries. How emigration affects the sending communities. Are the left behind indeed left behind? Remittances and its factors. Diaspora exporting back identities, ideas, practices, and skills.

Topic 6. Receiving countries and Migrants’ Image
Attitudes to migrants in receiving countries. How to build a better attitude to migrants and refugees.
Topic 7. Policies of migrant integration
Topic 8. Case studies
Dr. Enrico Di Pasquale from Fondazione Leone Moressa presents major case studies, with special attention to the Italian experience of governing migration and to economics of migration in Italy

1. Impact of migration on the destination regions/countries:

- Demography

- Labour market impact of immigration

- Immigration and crime

- Migrants’ integration

2. Theory on remittance motivations

3. The impact of migration/remittances on those left behind: children, spouse and elderly

4. Brain Drain

1. A. F. Constant and K F.. Zimmermann (Eds.), International Handbook of the Economic of Migration, Edward Elgar 2013.
2. B. Chiswick and P. Miller (Eds.) Handbook of Economics of International Migration, Elsevie 2015.
3. Exodus: How migration is changing our world. By Paul Collier. Oxford:  Oxford University Press,  2013
4. Kapur, Devesh, and John McHale. (2005). “Give us your best and brightest: The global
hunt for talent and its impact on the developing world.” Center for Global Development. https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/9781933286037-Kapur-Hale-best-and-brightest.pdf
5. The Gift of Global Talent: How Migration Shapes Business, Economy & Society: Kerr, William

Different research papers suggested by the professors before each lesson.

Learning is assessed based on attendance, involvement in courses, and active discussions during the course, through the depth and critical approach demonstrated in the final paper and an oral presentation. There is no final written test. During the oral presentation the student is required to prove his or her knowledge of the topics covered during the course and the ability to formally present such knowledge within the selected research topic. The final paper and presentation can be done in groups of up to 4 students.

Face-to-face course supported by teaching modules available on the university e-learning platform moodle.unive.it. These modules invite students to read research papers and to solve case studies of real problems and allow them to compare, sometimes also through videos, their own solutions with those proposed by the professor or those used in practice.
Course is divided as follows:

a) face-to-face lessons;

b) thematic insights proposed to students who, working in small groups, will have to discuss, analyse and report the results achieved in class;
c) discussion of articles;
d) preparation and presentation of the final paper.
Students are expected to perform extensive reading before each class, in order to turn each class into a multidisciplinary laboratory to discuss the existing economic and governance issues of migration in a critical manner. Students are welcome to do extra reading based on their individual interest.
Professors encourage critical thinking, novelty, logic, and a balanced, multi-disciplinary interpretation of observed reality.

English

The course contributes to accruing the students’ knowledge in key macrotopics of SDG set by the UN in the 2030 agenda (Povertà e disuguaglianze, Capitale umano, salute, educazione, Capitale naturale e qualità dell’ambiente, Cambiamento climatico e energia, Economia circolare, innovazione, lavoro, Città, infrastrutture e capitale sociale, Cooperazione internazionale)

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development